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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24982705">wait for me in the sky</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelynebrochu/pseuds/evelynebrochu'>evelynebrochu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Orphan Black (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>80s AU, F/F, Summer AU, ehhm there will be mentions of many characters x, wtf are additional tags ill k word u</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:02:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,255</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24982705</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelynebrochu/pseuds/evelynebrochu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The stars circled above them close enough to touch, yet Delphine's head remained lolled to the side; eyes glued to Cosima. Oui, she thought, blinking slowly at the moon reflecting off of the girl’s glasses. Oui, I could lay here all summer. Je pourrais rester ici pour toujours.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Delphine Cormier/Cosima Niehaus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. day one, week one. delphine.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Delphine Cormier sighed softly as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wincing slightly as her already sunburnt thighs peeled from the leather underneath her. The drive had been...<em> uncomfortable</em>, to say the least. Not completely unbearable, but definitely a far cry from how she typically travelled back home in France. She’d been left sandwiched between the car door and her luggage, provided with only a couple inches of wiggle room for the hour’s drive. Though she wasn’t claustrophobic, she<em> did </em>enjoy her space, and in this car she had<em> none</em>. Opera music drifted quietly through the car’s speakers, and Delphine found herself desperately focusing on it, translating it from Italian to French, then into English. Anything to keep her mind off of the way that her one of her suitcases was constantly brushing against her thigh and that the driver of the car kept glancing at her through the rearview mirror.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Sweat trailed down the back of her neck, making her shiver as it slid between her tanned shoulder blades. The pitiful excuse for an air conditioner spat out cold air only<em> half</em> of the time, leaving Delphine’s clothes uncomfortably sticking to her skin with sweat only twenty minutes into the drive. She might’ve been more annoyed about the drive, had she not absolutely<em> adored </em>the Duncans. Well — she adored everything they’d published. The professors themselves were recluses, choosing only a few special students every year to visit their home in Italy and study under them. So, <em>technically</em>, she’d never actually <em>met</em> either of them them, but she loved the <em>idea</em> of them. And they’d chosen <em>he</em>r. She felt her heartbeat pick up, the corners of her lips twisting up involuntarily as she tore her eyes from the scenery outside. An opportunity like this was- well, it was life-changing. She worried her lip between her teeth, smile faltering as she dug her blunt fingernails into the leather underneath her. Ten weeks -- her <em>entire career</em> depended on these next ten weeks.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Clearing her throat awkwardly, the blonde pulled back her wild mane of curls, tying it to the nape of her neck as she made accidental eye contact with the driver. Delphine offered him a tight smile before quickly averting her gaze to the fields passing by outside. “Quanto tempo ci resta?” Her Italian wasn’t the <em>best</em>, but she’d brushed up on it for months before the trip. Ethan and Susan mainly spoke in English, she knew, but she figured it would come in handy for when she went into town.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Non molto,” the driver offered vaguely, before reaching to turn the music up louder.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, briefly debating on asking him further questions before deciding to just rest against her seat, letting her eyes drift closed. Maybe, by some miracle, she’d be able to sleep through the rest of the car ride.</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The sun was hanging low in the sky, turning the clouds a brilliant shade of orange by the time they pulled into the long driveway of the Duncan’s estate. The french woman had been balancing on the delicate line between sleep and consciousness for sometime now, the occasional bump in the road jolting her wide awake every few minutes. She sat up uncomfortably as the car rolled to a stop in front of the Duncan’s impressive home. Before her fingers could even grip the door handle, the door was being swung open by a <em>very </em>enthusiastic man.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You must be Delphine, then!” He greeted simply, holding his hand out and practically pulling her out of the car as soon as she accepted it. “Ethan Duncan.” His handshake was firm, a smile lighting up his face. “We are absolutely overjoyed to have you with us this summer, your credentials are…” He trailed off, whistling lowly.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Delphine’s face only turned redder and redder as Ethan spoke, shocked by the older man’s demeanor. She’d expected — well, she wasn’t sure <em>what</em> she expected, exactly, but it definitely hadn’t been the man already struggling to pull her luggage out of the car. “Merci, Professor Duncan,” she started, jumping as Ethan exclaimed something about <em>frivolous formalities </em>and continued on a tangent Delphine had already given up on keeping up with. “I, um, I can’t wait to work with you this summer… this opportunity... I’m so grateful for it.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hm?” He looked over his shoulder at her before finally pulling out one of her suitcases and dropping it between then. “Oh, of course, dear! There’s been a lot of buzz in the field about you, Miss Cormier. I’m just glad you accepted our offer.” He pulled the last of her bags from the back of the car, setting them down between them heavily. “My <em>god</em>, Delphine. Did you plan to stay the year?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’ve been told that I can be… high-maintenance.” He gave her an amused look before picking up two of her bags, leaving one for her to carry. She gave him a soft <em>thank you</em> before following the older man inside, suddenly feeling <em>very </em>tired from the journey. </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You’ll get along well with my wife, then,” Ethan joked over his shoulder, before leading the blonde up a <em>massive</em> staircase. “Susan and my daughter, won’t be joining us until tomorrow… business in the city. I’m sure you already know.” He offered vaguely. Delphine nodded silently, following Ethan into what she assumed would be her room. It was… rather <em>nondescript</em>. Lacking personal touches. In fact, Delphine ran her finger along a dusty bedpost, it seemed nobody had even been in this room for <em>years</em>. “Usually our visitors stay in one of our guest rooms,” the professor began explaining before Delphine could ask, “but what with the connected bathroom-” he gestured towards a closed door, “we figured you could be closer to Cosima this way. You know, easier to get to know her and all that.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Of course,” Delphine offered, giving Ethan a tight-lipped smile. “It’s perfect, merci.” They stood in silence for a moment, Ethan bouncing on the balls of his feet.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“If you-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Erm, I-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">They laughed awkwardly, the blonde offering him an apologetic smile. “I think that I’m going to rest for the night, if you don’t mind.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh, of course! Of course. Well, if you need anything else, I’m-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">By the time she had practically shoved him out the door and closed it in his face, her eyes could barely stay open. She lingered by the door for a moment, watching the shadows of Ethan’s feet from under the crack. <em>Did he have something else to say?</em> She wondered, but after a few seconds, he’d seemed to make a decision and walked away.</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She woke up to the sound of a door slamming heavily downstairs. That must’ve been Susan and... what was her name? Cosima. Their daughter. <em>Adopted</em> daughter.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Delphine blinked at the dark ceiling for a few moments. How long had she been asleep? A quick glance to the dusty alarm clock on her nightstand told her it was only three in the morning. She sighed deeply before sitting up and stretching. “Merde,” she groaned. Her mouth was disgustingly dry, like she’d been chewing on sand in her sleep.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She got up slowly, sighing softly as she walked towards the bathroom. A muffled conversation downstairs floated up the stairs and under her door, and though the blonde couldn’t make out the specifics, she could tell that it was getting heated. What she assumed was Cosima’s voice was raised the highest. <em>It’s my decision, Susan. </em>Guilt wrapped around the blonde’s chest, and Delphine quickly turned the doorknob and shut the door behind her before she heard anything else.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><em>Poor, Cosima</em>. She thought, biting her lip. Even muffled, the pain had been thick in the young woman’s voice. She could visualize Cosima, though she lacked a face, stomping, pointing, maybe even throwing something. Cosima, Cosima, Cosima. The same girl she was to share this very bathroom this summer. The same girl she was to befriend. A mystery. Delphine was a scientist, she liked mysteries. Delphine looked in the mirror, eyeing her wild hair and tired eyes. Did Cosima cry when she was angry?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. day two, week one. delphine.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>She knew that somehow she’d met Cosima a million times before.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Breakfast consisted of fresh fruit and a cigarette, which made Delphine feel very much like some sort of stereotype. Ethan and Susan sat across from her, newspapers laid out in front of them long-forgotten. They were chatting easily, something about some breakthrough in Ethan’s field, but Delphine wasn’t listening. Her eyes kept flicking to the back door, expecting to see Cosima in the doorway. Would she lean casually, a grin splayed across her lips? Or would her arms be crossed, making herself seem smaller? Would she sit next to Delphine? Would she complain about eating outside or close her eyes and tilt her head affectionately towards the sun? God, why was Delphine so interested? Professional curiosity, she argued. After all, she’d yet to even meet the girl.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The blonde cleared her throat, and the couple across from her stopped talking immediately, looking at her. Her cheeks flushed, and she offered them an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt… I was just wondering if Cosima would be joining us this morning?” Delphine worried her lip between her teeth. Professional curiosity, she told herself again. Was Cosima’s hair dark? Or was it light and curly like hers?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cosima won’t be joining us for breakfast, no,” Susan answered slowly, taking a long drag from her cigarette. “She’s already gone into town,” she spoke levelly, eyes faraway.</span>
  <em>
    <span> It must be about last night</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Delphine mused. She wanted to ask Susan if she was okay, if she wanted to talk about it. But by the way Ethan’s gaze remained on his wife, she guessed they’d talked about it plenty before Delphine had woken up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I see,” Delphine hummed, bringing an orange slice to her lips. She’d have to wait until tonight to finally meet her, then.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, don’t sound too disappointed, Delphine.” Ethan watched her over his mug of coffee, raising an eyebrow as she flushed slightly. “You’re not tired of us, already, are you?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not,” she laughed, pausing thoughtfully before she continued. “I’m just… </span>
  <em>
    <span>interested </span>
  </em>
  <span>in meeting someone raised by two of the greatest minds in the scientific field. She isn’t mentioned in any of your interviews-“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We value our privacy,” Susan interrupted, smiling softly at the blonde. “As does Cosima.” Delphine nodded, looking down at her fingers, feeling as though she were just reprimanded by the headmistress at her boarding school. “And besides, Cosima wasn’t living with us during her formative years.” Susan snuffed her cigarette out, standing as she did so. “Why don’t you go into town, Delphine? You should explore, get to know its secrets. You can take my bike.”</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>It felt nostalgic. She felt as though she should’ve recognized the faces passing her in the street, the wrinkles in the corners of their eyes as they laughed over their breakfasts, the way that they wrapped their lips around their cigarettes. Maybe it was simply a sense of</span>
  <em>
    <span> belonging</span>
  </em>
  <span> -- she’d never experienced such a thing before. Not even back home in France.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Was this it? Laying on the beach, arm draped over her eyes, cigarette stuck between her lips. Was this belonging? Laying in the sand, her stuff sprawled out in such a way that she’d be cursing herself tomorrow as she shook the tiny grains out of her book. But today? Today her lazy smile would rival the shine of the sun, and she would be alone with the waves.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Months from now, when the air was beginning to crisp and she was beginning to spend her evenings curled up alone with a book decorated with familiar, messy handwriting she’d remember. She’d remember this day with a beautiful ache in her chest. She’d close her eyes, smell the brine of the sea, she’d hear the seagulls crying as they circled above, and when she finally opened her eyes again, she’d see her for the first time all over again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cosima. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She hadn’t known it was Cosima at the time, of course. All she had known was that she instantly wanted to get to know the girl with wild hair smoking a funny looking cigarette only a few feet away. The blonde lifted her head from the sand, eyeing the way that the brunette’s hands cut through the air as she spoke in hurried Italian. Delphine lifted herself to her elbows, stubbing the cigarette out on the sand as she watched the girl lift her glasses to the top of her head and squint against the sun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither of them would ever know that when the brunette turned her head towards Delphine, their hearts skipped in tandem the moment they locked eyes. The blonde felt that she needed to say something,</span>
  <em>
    <span> anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hello, I’m Delphine. I like watching the ways that your hands move when they talk. Hi, I’m Delphine and I’m here for the summer. I want so badly to know your name. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But instead, she simply offered a weak wave, disappointed that by the time she had lifted her hand up, the brunette had already turned back to the small group of friends she was with. With an unfamiliar disappointment, Delphine let her hand fall back to the sand next to her. </span>
</p>
<p><span>With a defeated sigh, she lifted herself to her feet. Why did she even</span> <span>care that the girl hadn’t seen her wave? It was so </span><em><span>unnerving</span></em><span> -- all of these unfamiliar feelings bubbling within her, and it was only her second day in Italy.</span><em><span> Nerves</span></em><span>, she rationalized as she picked her book out of the sand. After all, she was </span><em><span>completely</span></em><span> out of her element here. She had her professors of course, but… something about the pair didn’t </span><em><span>quite</span></em><span> sit right with her. Ethan was kind enough, but Susan -- everytime the older woman looked at her she felt so </span><em><span>exposed. </span></em></p>
<p>
  <span>Delphine shook her head as she picked up her shoes and began walking to where she had left her borrowed bike. She had the habit of getting in her own head, of ruining things before they could really start.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Avoiding disappointment</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she walked away, hesitating only to take a moment to look over her shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A pair of hazel eyes stared back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p><span>It was rare for the Duncans to host guests at their home for dinner, but Delphine would soon come to learn that when they did, it was always</span><em><span> extravagant</span></em><span>. Their personal chef, Viviana (within the first few days of knowing her, she would</span><em><span> insist </span></em><span>that Delphine simply call her Viv, afterall, Delphine would leave family, as all of the Duncans guests did), had been in the kitchen all day, and with plenty to show for it. Just stepping back into the house had made Delphine’s mouth water, and by the time she was entertaining one of Ethan’s closest colleagues, Siobhan, her semi-formal dress was feeling rather tight</span> <span>on her.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re here for the summer, then?” The older woman questioned, staring at Delphine over her wine glass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oui,” Delphine answered, resisting the urge to nervously pull her bottom lip between her teeth. “And I’m -- </span>
  <em>
    <span>ecstatic </span>
  </em>
  <span>to work alongside the Duncans.” As she spoke, she waved her hand in front of her in a way that instantly brought her back to the beach, to watching the stranger with too many bracelets around her wrists. “And, more personally… I’m excited to get to know Italy. And myself. This is a perfect opportunity to -- </span>
  <em>
    <span>reflect</span>
  </em>
  <span>. To know who I am when I’m not in a lab.” The wine was giving her loose lips, and she couldn’t resist the maternal energy that the Irish woman radiated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Siobhan’s smile seemed almost sad as she listened to Delphine speak excitedly, and she offered a small chuckle as she tilted her head. “You remind me of Cosima.” Delphine’s stomach immediately dropped, but she  didn’t let her expression falter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” She said simply, when in reality she wanted to beg Siobhan to tell her more, to tell her</span>
  <em>
    <span> anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p><span>“Really.” And like that, Delphine knew that the conversation was over. Disappointed yet again, the blonde took a long sip of her wine. Her dark eyes drifted around the room, briefly lingering on the unfamiliar faces. None of them were Cosima, because none of them interested</span> <span>her. Siobhan was speaking again, but Delphine couldn’t bring herself to listen to anything the older woman was saying. Rather, her focus was on the front door, which had just swung open and slammed shut unceremoniously. Her heartbeat picked up as she watched Susan and Ethan cut across the room towards the door, before she could even excuse herself she was doing the same, following behind the pair until she was led to Ethan’s study, where the door was promptly closed in her face.</span></p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Merde cette porte. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She thought ruefully, pressing her ear against the dark wood. Once again, the only voice she could make out was Cosima’s, ever-passionate. They were</span>
  <em>
    <span> so</span>
  </em>
  <span> close now; the quick twist of a doorknob was the only thing separating Delphine from the object of her curiosity. Childishly, she pressed her ear harder against the wood, but she was met with silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, the door swung open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Delphine gasped as she stumbled forward, a pair of hands on her biceps the only thing keeping her from completely making a fool of herself. “Je suis désolé, je suis vraiment désolé!” She said quickly, steadying herself against the person who had caught her. When the blonde looked up, she was met with a familiar pair of eyes behind the dark frame of glasses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay?” Cosima asked, the corners of her lips twisted in an amused smirk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oui,” Delphine offered lamely. “Um.” She looked over the brunette’s shoulder to Ethan and Susan, whose faces were equal parts irritated and confused. “Siobhan was asking for you two,” she lied and the couple sighed in unison. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Delphine,” Susan said, pressing her fingers to her temple in exasperation. “Cosima,” she addressed, and the brunette only inches from Delphine stiffened before turning towards the scientist. Even from their distance, the blonde couldn’t miss the way that Susan’s eyes softened the moment they landed on Cosima’s face. Slowly, the professor approached the brunette and rested her hand on Cosima’s elbow. The pair shared a long look before Susan pushed past Delphine and Cosima, returning to the party, Ethan trailing behind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Cosima sighed, turning back towards Delphine. “What an introduction.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, we haven’t officially met yet,” Delphine blurted out. Though she wasn’t sure that an introduction was even necessary; she knew that somehow she’d met Cosima a million times before. “So…” Her smile was soft, encouraging.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cosima studied Delphine for a moment, searching for any sign of ulterior motives in the blonde’s eyes, her lips, her nose, the mole underneath her chin, in the way that brown eyes were </span>
  <em>
    <span>already</span>
  </em>
  <span> impossibly soft for their first meeting. Delphine wanted so badly to just reach out, to cry </span>
  <em>
    <span>you can trust me, you can trust me, you can trust me</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Cosima.” She’d seemed to have made a decision, and Delphine’s stomach jumped as the brunette reached her hand out towards the taller blonde.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Delphine,” she replied, taking her smaller hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Enchantée…” Cosima’s accent was atrocious, but it made Delphine laugh genuinely as she shook her head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cheeky</span>
, she thought affectionately.
</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Enchantée,” she replied, softer, tilting her head as they silently stared at each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her hand did not leave Cosima’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry for the wait, guys! please let me know what you think of this chapter!! is there anything specific that you'd guys like to see?</p>
<p>a special thank you to cami for always being the best beta</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i haven't written and published a fic since i was like twelve so pls bear with me x<br/>this is going to be......... long. so buckle up gays. i've got a lot planned for this fic </p><p>feel free to follow me on twitter at 324b21phine and message me if you have any questions or comments!</p><p>a special thank you to cami and ash for their patience and helping me write this &lt;3</p><p>this fic is dedicated to rddk.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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